Talent will only get you so far. 

You need more than talent. And, I have news for you, if you think you don't have talent, I say to you, it doesn't matter. Sure, some people are talented writers, but just because you're a talented writer doesn't mean you'll finish your project or it will be as good as it could be. 

I like what Seth Golden has to say about talent: 

"If you can learn it, it’s a skill.

If it’s important but innate, it’s a talent.

The thing is, almost everything that matters is a skill. If even one person is able to learn it, if even one person is able to use effort and training to get good at something, it’s a skill."

Writing is a skill. Writing is something you practice. Writing is something you can do even if you don't have 'talent' or if you don't think you have talent.

So, you want to write? Great. Here's what you DO NEED if you want to write.

Ambition. You need the desire. You need passion. Your talent won't save you when you fall into that trap of what other people think about your work.  It can't save you. It's not strong enough to reach down and pull you out of that hole of self-doubt, criticism, worry, comparison, that we often experience as writers...as human beings... Talent can't help you. It won't help you. Talent is too busy hamming it up on stage for the audience and making sure no one else tries to walk steal the spotlight. But, if you have ambition, desire, and passion, well, then you won't fall prey to what others think. Instead, you'll keep writing. 

Commitment.  When you commit to something, you make a pledge. You say to yourself, "I'm going to do this." You know you will. It might take longer than you thought; life might get in the way, but you will finish. I repeat, YOU WILL FINISH. You made a commitment to finishing, to completing this particular project, and so you will. Why? Because you're committed to doing so.. 
It helps, sure, but you don't need it. I can teach you enough so that you can build your talent. 

Drive.  Writing isn't always fun. In fact, sometimes it will be downright annoying, unpleasant, something you just don't want to do. You'd rather be taking a nap, you'd rather be cleaning the house, you'd rather be shucking oysters, or anything other than the 'hard' work of writing.  Writing is hard, not like  'drop and give me 50' push-ups, hard, But it can feel like you're doing mental push-ups. Writing can be tedious, and we know it can be lonely (that's why many of us take writing classes). This is where your DRIVE comes in. Your determination. You are determined, and driven, to succeed. 

As we move into this time, this end of the year where we take time evaluate our lives, to look at where we've been, where we want to go and what changes we might want to make in our lives, it's the perfect time to ask yourself these questions:

Am I ambitious? 
Am I committed?
Am I driven?

And these questions, although I'm asking them in regard to writing, I'm guessing you can see how they can lend themselves to anything you want to do, accomplish, or be in your life.

So, are you ready? Commit to your desires, and let's do this. Classes start next week!

There are still two seats left for Found Voices™--Next Level Writing Support
We start Tuesday, November 8th. 
AND I'm also offering Adventures in Writing, one special end-of-the-year series; we begin Wednesday, November 9th at 2:30p PST. 
 Visit my Website to register. 

In the meantime, now is a great time to evaluate your level of ambition, commitment and drive. Now is a good time to set some milestones for yourself and go for it. 

And it's the best time to take a writing class! :)
Carolyn
XO